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Most of the time, I use canned chicken stock. I work a full time job and try maintain some semblance of a social life, so I don’t always have time to make my own stock from scratch. While delicious, it just isn’t something I ever think to do ahead of time. You know how it is, I’m sure: wake up, shower and dress, pack lunches, and darn it if I forgot to get the chicken bones in the soup pot with all the nicely chopped vegetables and tightly bundled herbs and spices before I run out of the house at 7 AM to catch my train, only to return again at 7 PM, when it’s time to shower again (New York summers are brutal!), throw something quick together for dinner, and maybe do a bit of reading before bed. That’s where this new Knorr Homestyle Stock comes in. It’s got more flavor than your average canned stock, and it’s much less salty than a typical bouillon cube. It can be diluted as much as you want, too, so it’s easy to immerse some of your own signature flavors into whatever you’re cooking. I was really excited when I was asked by Knorr to create a recipe using their new stock, and I wanted to make it shine. You see, if they pick my recipe, I get a chance to be flown out to San Diego for BlogHer 2011, as well as spot in a live cooking competition!

I can’t think of many meals in which a good broth is key as much as in pho. If you’ve never had pho, you’re in for a treat! Pho is something I actually learned about when I first started watching No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, and after I saw Tony slurping up a big bowl of it, I knew I had to try it for myself. Pho is made with rice noodles, and while traditionally uses beef, I wanted to keep things a bit leaner, so I opted for chicken. I suppose this is sort of like a Vietnamese version of chicken noodle soup! I used fragrant ground coriander, ground Chinese five spice, and fresh ginger in my broth, as well as shredded chicken, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and bok choy for a comforting pairing along with the rice noodles. My favorite part about pho, however, are all of the tasty toppings. We used cilantro, red onions, sprouts, Sriracha, hoisin sauce, and fresh lime, but you can really use whatever you like. There’s nothing more appetizing to me than a colorful bowl of pho, so I hope that I can convince you to make some at home soon! Pho really is the new chicken noodle!

Update: I won! I will be attending BlogHer 2011! I hope to see you all there – please come and say hi if you see me walking around! Thanks to Knorr and BlogHer for the opportunity!

Your ingredients.

Toast your spices in your pot until fragrant.

Saute your mushrooms.

Then your onions, in the same pan.

Chop up your ginger to simmer in the broth.

After your chicken has simmered in the Knorr Homestyle Stock, shred it up with two forks and return it to the pot.

Along with the mushrooms, onions, and bok choy.

Prepare your noodles according to package directions and add them to the broth. Stir together, taste, and season as necessary.

Top with whatever you like! We used lime wedges, cilantro, Sriracha, red pepper flakes, hoisin sauce, and sprouts!

First, get your broth going and your chicken cooking. Add the teaspoon of ground coriander and the teaspoon of Chinese five spice to a dry soup pot and toast over medium heat for a few minutes, until fragrant, stirring often. If you are using the Knorr chicken stock, add in 8 cups of water and bring to a boil, then add in your two packages of Knorr chicken stock and whisk until combined. Otherwise, you can just add in 8 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then add in the chicken pieces, and cook over medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Be sure to skim the surface of the broth every so often to rid the broth of extra fat.

Now, get your mushrooms going. Add ¼ of your cleaned and sliced mushrooms to a large, dry pan over medium heat. Cook until the juices start to come out of them a bit, then add a ¼ of your butter to the mushrooms. Stir until browned, then move to another plate, wipe your pan clean, and start on your next batch of mushrooms, repeating the same steps until they are all cooked. It's best to cook mushrooms this way to retain as much mushroom flavor as possible - they release . When the mushrooms are done, add the onions to the pan with a bit more butter, if you like, and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes or so, until caramelized. Add to the plate along with the mushrooms and set aside.

When your chicken is ready, remove it from the pot and shred with two forks. Set aside and add the bok choy. Raise the temperature to medium-high, then add in the mushrooms and the onions. Allow everything to simmer together for 10 minutes or so, until the bok choy is wilted. While you do this, get your noodles ready according to their package directions. You can boil them in the broth, or in another pot - whatever the box or package says is best. My noodles were rice noodles, so I heated some water to boiling, removed it from the heat, and added the rice noodles, then let them sit for 10 minutes or so, until softened. At this point, I drained the noodles and added them to my broth. When the noodles are ready, add them to the broth, along with the chicken. Remove the pot of broth and noodles from the heat, taste, and add salt and pepper to taste.

I love pho! I often make it with beef stock, but without beef itself and just pile on a lot of herbs & bean sprouts. I’m definitely going to give this chicken & mushroom recipe a go next time I’m feeling a little pho.
BTW – do we get to vote for you or is it an ‘internal powers that be’ only decision?

Oh yum! I am a Pho addict. I visit a local Vietnamese restaurant regularly for Pho and Boba tea, but I have yet to try and make it at home. Now I have no excuse…plus the addition of mushrooms is a good idea! Also, as a fellow full-time worker, I can appreciate any cooking shortcuts you’re able to provide.

Good luck with your entry! Your blog is easily one of my favorites and you deserve to be chosen!

Being Vietnamese – pho is a labour intensive process taking many hours. My family makes it on a Friday night so we can eat it all weekend.

My husband would *so* love it if it was possible to eat it on a weeknight after work! I am intrigued by the idea also and will definitely give this a go. I’m sure it will taste different, but it looks delicious and healthy nonetheless.

I just found you via another post about Blogher. Love your blog. This looks delicious. I love to eat pho, but most recipes I have found involve lots of ingredients many of which I haven’t a clue where I would find (oxtail anyone?), but I am going to give this a try!

You should definitely be on TV. You are such a natural. I am going to try this recipe for Pete and I tomorrow night. Thanks again for sharing, I always look forward to what you’re going to come up with next.

[…] If you will be attending, please come up to me and say hi! You can also come watch me cook my Weeknight Chicken & Mushroom Pho live at the Knorr Kitchen Booth (in the exhibit hall, booth #115) at 11 AM on Saturday, August 6th! […]

[…] excited to announce that I am one of the finalists in the Knorr Four recipe contest! Thanks to my Weeknight Chicken & Mushroom Pho, I will be attending the BlogHer 2011 conference in San Diego! I am really excited, especially […]